


head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)

by Ford_Ye_Fiji



Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Number Five | The Boy, Implied/Referenced Torture, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Number Five | The Boy Whump, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26981050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ford_Ye_Fiji/pseuds/Ford_Ye_Fiji
Summary: Day 12: broken bonesFive is extremely tired of the incompetent he's been saddled with. (Really, it’s just insulting.)
Series: Whumptober 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947877
Comments: 28
Kudos: 320
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)

Five spit, grinning up at his captor with bloodstained teeth, "Seriously? Can you try any harder? This is amateur hour." 

Five sat in the cold metal chair, hands and legs bound. His lip was bruised and bloody, one eye swollen shut as blood dribbled from his nose. Several of his fingers were purple, clearly broken, and the fresh cuts on his arms were currently dripping red. 

The man in front of Five snarled, slamming down the scalpel with frustration. He clenched his fists, teeth gritting, "Are you kidding me, asshole? It’s been six fucking days! This is _ridiculous_." 

Five laughed, face burning with pain as he twisted his lips upwards into a manic grin, "More than enough time, but clearly, you know nothing about such things. Torture is an art form, one which you have yet to perfect." 

The man's eye twitched with frustration.

Five grinned impishly, feet tapping on the floor. Clearly the electrocution earlier had done nothing to tame his energy. 

The man took a deep breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth, "And how would you suggest that I go about it?"

Five scoffed. 

The man's eyes narrowed, lips curling, "What mistakes do you think I made, big shot? Or are you all talk?"

Five rolled his eyes, wincing at the movement, "Okay, this is just embarrassing. For one, your first mistake was turning the light off when you left. Keeping the light on is far more disorienting, plus it’s usually a bitch to try and sleep in." The man frowned as Five scoffed, "Every little discomfort counts. Second, you had to stop on the third day because you couldn’t keep me from bleeding out, you didn't have the anatomical knowledge needed for such things and came off as grossly incompetent _and_ unprofessional."

Five shifted, head lolling, "That was also your third mistake, by doing that, you clearly communicated that I was too valuable to kill. For fuck's sake, the last thing you want to do is let your victim know that they hold the power." 

The man blinked, "I- I hadn’t thought about that." 

Five shook his head slowly, " _Obviously_ ." He sighed, continuing, "Your technique has no finesse. For one, breaking my fingers? Small beans. You know you’re dealing with a _professional_ killer of sixty years. You're starting off with the basics which is, frankly, insulting. You should’ve at _least_ taken an eye. That, for one, isn’t something that can be easily fixed." 

Five smacked his lips, thinking, his unbroken fingers tapping the arm of his chair, "Oh! And don’t go straight to breaking the fingers. Pull the nails off first or something. Draw out the maximum amount of pain that you can."

The man hummed, thinking hard, “That’s a lot to remember."

Five snorted, "Oh, we're not done yet. That was the physical shit. Half of torture- _most_ of torture actually, is breaking your victim mentally. The head is the important part. Break the mind and the rest will follow. Dehumanize and degrade the person. They need to lose their dignity, their pride, all while you continue to physically brutalize them." 

Five sat back, shaking his head, "Those were only your major mistakes." 

The man blinked before shaking his head, laughing softly, "You know, you think you’re real clever, huh? You think you’re _so_ fucking smart, don't you?"

Five nodded, lifting an eyebrow, lips thinning, "I _know_ so." 

The man scoffed, lifting his scalpel up again, "Oh yeah? And how come you just told me the exact way to break you?" 

Five smirked, "Well, I didn’t mention your final, fatal, mistake."

The man blinked, "What?" 

Five grinned, teeth bloody, smile stretching wide and terrifying as he leaned forward, "You fed me yesterday." 

The man sucked in his breath, but before he could move, Five vanished, reality bending and warping around him. 

He only had a second to regret everything that he had done that had led him to this point before the pop of Five reappearing came from behind him. He turned with a snarl as Five whirled, shoving the hand holding the scalpel up into the man's neck with a disconcerting squelch. 

He choked, eyes wide as Five snickered, "Really, this was just too easy. You’re lucky you even got this far." His broken fingers twisted as Five pulled the knife down, neatly slicing open his jugular. The man choked and gargled as Five let him drop to the floor. 

Five shook his head, "Pathetic."

He turned, wincing as he put pressure on his broken toes. 

It was at that moment the door burst open, Diego stumbling in. He caught sight of his brother and gaped, "F- Five! Guys, I found him! He’s here!"

Five scoffed, "What took you assholes so long? This guy was a fucking idiot!" 

Diego‘s brows furrowed, "Was?"

Five gestured at the body behind him, hissing with pain as he limped forward, "I had to do everything my damn self." 

Diego eyed the body, worry in his eyes, "Glad to see you weren’t traumatized by your ordeal." 

Five shook his head, wishing he could stomp forward, but settling for shuffling instead, "Yeah, yeah. Don’t break a sweat now." 

Diego shook his head, uncharacteristically soft, "Really though. I’m glad you’re okay." 

Five raised an eyebrow, eyeing his brother warily, "Yeah... me too." He huffed, "It would’ve been really shameful if I’d let that guy break me. He knows fuck all about torture." 

Diego blinked, reaching down and helping his brother along, "Uh, really? I hadn’t realized you were the expert?" 

Five thought of rejecting his help, but honestly, he was too tired too. He’d done all the work, Diego could carry his weight now. He let Diego scoop him up with a few halfhearted grumbles, " _Please_ , Diego. Anyone would know more about it than this _dumbass_. Let me tell you what he did..." 

Diego carried Five out of that bloody room and into the light, Five complaining the entire way.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is here: https://ford-ye-fiji.tumblr.com/


End file.
